Older People

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  • Ongoing (updated on 27/02/2024) - Bureau decision date: 15/02/2024
    Reference
    SOC/800-EESC
    Civil Society Organisations - GR III
    Poland
    Plenary session number
    590
    -
  • Adopted on 13/12/2023 - Bureau decision date: 13/06/2023
    Reference
    SOC/779-EESC-2023
    Civil Society Organisations - GR III
    Italy
    Plenary session number
    583
    -

    In this opinion, the EESC suggests several changes to the Commission's proposal, to make the text fully compliant with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Namely, the Committee suggest that if the adoption of a legal measure against a vulnerable person clearly violates human rights and international law, a Member State should be obliged not recognise such a measure.

    EESC opinion: International protection of adults
  • Adopted on 12/07/2023 - Bureau decision date: 13/12/2022
    Reference
    SOC/757-EESC-2023
    Civil Society Organisations - GR III
    Spain
    Plenary session number
    580
    -

    In the opinion, the EESC: calls for a paradigm shift in the treatment of older people, moving from a care-based approach to empowering them and eliminating ageist attitudes; urges the EU to adopt a comprehensive European strategy for older persons, safeguarding their rights and promoting their full participation in society and the economy (the strategy should be accompanied by a guarantee for older persons and encompass various areas such as equality, non-discrimination, gender, rights, participation, employment, education, income and social inclusion, with Member States developing national plans to this end); encourages the drafting and signing of a European declaration on older persons to demonstrate the commitment towards developing the European strategy for older persons.

    EESC opinion: European Strategy for Older persons
  • Adopted on 26/10/2022 - Bureau decision date: 24/02/2022
    Reference
    SOC/730-EESC-2022
    Civil Society Organisations - GR III
    Italy

    This opinion draws attention to  the needs of family members taking care of older, chronic ill or disabled relatives. Informal carers, as they are called, represented by a majority of women, work for free, and are more vulnerable to falling into poverty. The opinion calls for public policies in this field and a recognition of their important societal role.

    EESC opinion: The role of family members caring for people with disabilities and older persons: the explosion of the phenomenon during the pandemic
  • Adopted on 19/01/2022 - Bureau decision date: 25/03/2021
    Reference
    SOC/687-EESC-2021
    Civil Society Organisations - GR III
    Spain

    This Own-initiative Opinion analyses  the structural causes that have led to the elderly care systems in general and to the nursing homes in particular, to become some of the most contagious and lethal factors of this pandemic. To this end, the different systems that exist in EU Member States are compared to learn useful lessons.

    In addition, the opinion calls for the need to address the demographic transition as one of the major challenges of the twenty-first century, alongside environmental and digital transitions.

    EESC opinion: Towards a New Care Model for the Elderly: learning from the Covid-19 pandemic (own-initiative opinion - Gr III)
  • Adopted on 25/01/2017 - Bureau decision date: 15/03/2016
    Reference
    SOC/542-EESC-2016-01902-00-04-ac

    The EESC adopted this opinion after in-depth work carried out during the four meetings of the study group. The opinion also reflects the national debates with civil society organisations carried out in all Member States between 2 September and 2 November 2016. These discussions were coordinated by three members of the EESC ('trios') from the country concerned, often in cooperation with the European Commission (15 debates) or the national economic and social council (7 debates). Participants came from a wide range of employers' and trade union organisations and other civil society organisations, as well as, to a lesser extent, from the academic world. A total of 116 EESC members and nearly 1,800 representatives of civil society organisations participated in the 28 debates. The conclusions/recommendations of the national debates have been grouped in the opinion, while the reports on the national debates will be published separately.

    EESC opinion: European Pillar of Social Rights
    Relevant Eurofound publications, non-exhaustive chronological list
  • Adopted on 13/07/2016 - Bureau decision date: 21/01/2016
    Reference
    TEN/584-EESC-2016-01-01
    (France
    EESC opinion: The digital pillar of growth: e-seniors, a potential 25% of the European population (own-initiative opinion)
  • Adopted on 10/07/2014
    Reference
    SOC/509-EESC-2014-2354
    Civil Society Organisations - GR III
    Poland
    Workers - GR II
    Romania
    Plenary session number
    500
    -

    The EESC stresses that occupational pension schemes, created as a result of decisions by the social partners, can play a very important role in ensuring that employees have additional pension provision. The EESC disagrees with the approach to IORPs purely as financial market institutions, which fails to acknowledge their important social function. A one-size-fits-all approach is not the right way of achieving the Commission's objectives given the numerous differences between pension schemes in Member States.

    EESC opinion: Review of Institutions for Occupational Retirement Pensions Directive
  • Adopted on 14/11/2012
    Reference
    SOC/448-EESC-2012-1526
    Civil Society Organisations - GR III
    United Kingdom
    Plenary session number
    484
    -

    With this opinion the EESC wants to highlight all forms of older peoples' participation in society. It recommends eliminating any barriers to their involvement and fostering their contribution. This means: increasing the offer of adapted learning for older people, namely on ICT, encouraging them to work until the retirement age and possibly beyond, provided that work environments and contractual arrangements meet their needs, valuing their role as volunteers, in particular as informal care givers, and recognising them as important consumers of goods and services.

    EESC opinion: Participation of older people in society
  • Adopted on 23/05/2012
    Reference
    INT/588-EESC-2012-1290
    Civil Society Organisations - GR III
    Germany
    Plenary session number
    481
    -
    EESC opinion: Active Ageing/Horizon 2020